Kerry Durston Equestrian

Call Directions Contact the business

Kerry Durston Equestrian KD Equestrian subscribes to the "Screw Up School of Success". Be brave enough to try something new and Keep Failing Forward! Eventing 2011, Perfect Secret.

Our training philosophy is that every mistake is an opportunity for both horse and rider to learn and grow. Top level multidiscipline rider and instructor with over a decade of competitive experience offering freelance equestrian services, with focus on correct basics and solid foundations to help build a successful career. Based in Cape Town, operating in Morningstar, Durbanville, Noordhoek. I have been riding and producing horses for over 15 years. Some of my major accomplishments in that time include:

WP Junior teams:
Intermediate Equitation 2011, Moonfire. Eventing 2012, Mountain of Bronze. Showjumping 2012, Finola. Showing 2012, Moonfire. WP Adult teams:
Eventing 2013, Mountain of Bronze. Showing 2021 VanRee De Niro

Winner of the overall SAEA jumping challenge 2012:
Junior 1m, Moonfire
Junior 1,30m, Finola

Ranked 2nd in WC Dressage Rider Rankings both Novice and Elementary 2014
Ranked 4th 2015

Multiple winner WC 1m eventing champion
EC Eventing Champion
Multiple Derby class winner
2021 Open Working Hunter national Victor Ludorum

2* Eventer
1,35m Showjumper
EM Dressage Rider
Open Showing
Open Equitation

I have produced all my horses myself, and have experience dealing with bucking, rearing, bolting, stopping, drifting, napping, and many other problems. I am willing to work with young or difficult horses, and always try to deal with problems with firm patience and confidence.

Looking for an exercise that challenges your horse to think about their stride while keeping them balanced and supple?Se...
21/10/2026

Looking for an exercise that challenges your horse to think about their stride while keeping them balanced and supple?

Set up five poles in a fan shape on a 20m circle. By riding through different parts of the fan, you can ask your horse to shorten or lengthen their stride while maintaining rhythm and bend.

Focus on:
โ€ข Keeping a steady rhythm
โ€ข Maintaining the bend of the circle
โ€ข Using your position and aids to influence the stride
โ€ข Keeping your horse balanced and relaxed

The inside of the fan encourages a shorter stride, while the outside allows for a longer stride. The middle gives you a more natural stride.

Start at a comfortable pace and focus on keeping the quality of the rhythm rather than simply trying to make the stride bigger or smaller.

A great exercise for developing suppleness, balance, and better control of your horseโ€™s stride. ๐Ÿด

๐Ÿด KD Equestrian Ridersโ€™ Favourite QuotesThis favourite quote comes from Kristen.A reminder that sometimes the best progr...
15/10/2026

๐Ÿด KD Equestrian Ridersโ€™ Favourite Quotes

This favourite quote comes from Kristen.

A reminder that sometimes the best progress happens when we stop rushing. In riding, thereโ€™s always something new to work on, but giving yourself and your horse the time to understand, learn, and improve can make all the difference.

Progress doesnโ€™t have to be fast to be meaningful. Trust the process, take your time, and enjoy the journey. ๐Ÿ’›

Public service announcement for my fellow coaches:If you are going to go the extra mile for your clients, make sure you ...
13/10/2026

Public service announcement for my fellow coaches:

If you are going to go the extra mile for your clients, make sure you fill your tank first! ๐Ÿ˜‚

(This post does not only apply to petrol) (Today it very much applies to petrol though ๐Ÿ˜ญ)

A lovely outing for Mariska and Qwee at the NRC Derby on the 6th of September 2026!A big well done to the pair on their ...
22/09/2026

A lovely outing for Mariska and Qwee at the NRC Derby on the 6th of September 2026!

A big well done to the pair on their results:

๐Ÿฅ‰ 1st Class: 3rd place

โญ Derby Class: 7th place

Itโ€™s always great to see the work put in at home come together in the arena. Well done to you both, and hereโ€™s to many more great moments together! ๐Ÿ’›

Itโ€™s easy to look back and think about the things we should have done. The bigger jumps we could have tried, the opportu...
15/09/2026

Itโ€™s easy to look back and think about the things we should have done. The bigger jumps we could have tried, the opportunities we could have taken, or the moments we werenโ€™t quite brave enough for.

But riding is full of chances to step outside your comfort zone, make mistakes, learn something new and surprise yourself.

So take the opportunity. Try the jump. Have the lesson. Enter the class. Keep learning.

Because some of the best memories start with โ€œI canโ€™t believe I actually did that!โ€ ๐Ÿ’›

08/09/2026

A little reminder to think about your rein connection and where that softness is coming from. ๐Ÿด

Itโ€™s easy to get caught up in what our hands are doing, but our elbows play a much bigger role than we sometimes realise.

Definitely something to think about on your next ride!

Meet our KD Equestrian riders! ๐Ÿด๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿด Rider Spotlight: Kristen & Hurricane Marieโณ ๐‡๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐  ๐ก๐š๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐›๐ž๐ž๐ง ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐  ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ...
04/09/2026

Meet our KD Equestrian riders! ๐Ÿด๐Ÿ’›

๐Ÿด Rider Spotlight: Kristen & Hurricane Marie

โณ ๐‡๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐  ๐ก๐š๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐›๐ž๐ž๐ง ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐  ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ž?
I have owned Marie for 9 years.

๐Ÿ“š ๐–๐ก๐š๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ€™๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ง๐ž๐ ๐ซ๐ž๐œ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ?
You donโ€™t always have to ride to enjoy your horse. Iโ€™ve learned to take the pressure off myself to always get on.

โœจ ๐–๐ก๐š๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ž๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ž๐š๐ฌ๐ข๐ž๐ซ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ง ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž๐ ๐ญ๐จ?
Moving her forward even when she is tense.

๐Ÿ† ๐–๐ก๐š๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง๐ž ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ€™๐ซ๐ž ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐จ๐Ÿ?
She has chilled out so much and we have learned to understand and trust each other more.

๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐–๐ก๐š๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ€™๐ ๐ญ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐š๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ž๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จโ€™๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ž๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐œ๐ค?
Take a step back to basics. It helps so much!

๐Ÿ˜… ๐–๐ก๐š๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ž๐ฆ๐›๐š๐ซ๐ซ๐š๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐จ๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ง๐ง๐ข๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ?
Marie couldnโ€™t keep her hooves on the ground in a showing class... at a walk. We bucked our way to the judge to ask to be excused, but I didnโ€™t even have to use words, the judge just understood. We then bucked and leaped our way out of the arena. ๐Ÿ˜‚

This favourite quote comes from Mariska.A lovely reminder that progress doesnโ€™t always have to be big or happen quickly....
02/09/2026

This favourite quote comes from Mariska.

A lovely reminder that progress doesnโ€™t always have to be big or happen quickly.

Sometimes itโ€™s the small improvements, the extra bit of understanding, and the little wins along the way that add up to something much bigger.

Keep going, keep learning, and trust the process. ๐Ÿ’›

Exercise of the Month: Four-Pole Circle ๐ŸดSet up four poles around a 20 m circle and use the space between the poles to p...
26/08/2026

Exercise of the Month: Four-Pole Circle ๐Ÿด

Set up four poles around a 20 m circle and use the space between the poles to practise your transitions. For example, ride from walk to trot between one set of poles, then trot to walk between the next.

The poles give you clear points to prepare, ask for the transition, and establish your new rhythm.

Focus on:
* Preparing your horse before each transition
* Keeping your balance and position consistent
* Maintaining an even rhythm between the poles
* Keeping your horse attentive and responsive to your aids

Don't worry about how many transitions you can fit in. Quality is more important than quantity. Take your time, prepare each transition and aim for a smooth, balanced change.

A fantastic SANESA Regionals for our Equestrian riders! ๐Ÿด๐Ÿ’›โญ Mariska & Qweeโ€ข Dressage: 2x 4th โ€ข Showjumping: 1st & 2ndโ€ข W...
20/08/2026

A fantastic SANESA Regionals for our Equestrian riders! ๐Ÿด๐Ÿ’›

โญ Mariska & Qwee
โ€ข Dressage: 2x 4th
โ€ข Showjumping: 1st & 2nd
โ€ข Working Hunter: 2nd
โ€ข Equitation: 3rd

๐ŸŒŸ Danika & Kwagga
โ€ข Prix Caprilli: 2x 3rd
โ€ข Prelim Dressage: 3rd
โ€ข 60cm Jumping: 2x 4th
โ€ข Performance Hunter 60cm: 4th
โ€ข Equitation 60cm: 7th

Weโ€™re so proud of both riders and how much hard work theyโ€™ve put in to get here. It was lovely to see that dedication come through in their rides, with some great results across a variety of disciplines. ๐Ÿ’›

Well done, girls! You should both be so proud of yourselves!

Address

Morningstar
Cape Town

Telephone

+27738496943

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Kerry Durston Equestrian posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Kerry Durston Equestrian:

Shortcuts

Share

Category